Nightmares
by Clocks Striking Thirteen
Summary: "Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain and hatred. Another day in Perdido beach." Sam and Caine have never got on, but storms are brewing and nightmares surfacing...
1. Nightmares

Nightmares

Eight months after the FAYZ had started. Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain, starvation and hatred.

Another day in Perido Beach.

Today, though, something brought all the emotion bubbling back to the top. It was a warm sunny day in the town- a perfect summer day- except for the absence of birds tweeting and tense atmosphere. Something was up. Caine was back in town.

**Sam POV**

There were only three bedraggled figures walking towards them, however, totally different from his smooth efficient takeover the first time they met. There was a silence as thick as fog as the shapes slowly became clear- Caine, Diana and Bug, visible for once. Sam didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed the other two were alive. He wouldn't normally wish anyone dead but this could be dangerous. However as the people drew nearer it became obvious that they were in no fit state to pose a real danger to anyone. Their clothes hung in tatters and they looked far more malnourished than anyone from Perido beach- concave cheeks and unsteady stick legs. Diana suddenly teetered where she was standing and Sam ran to catch her. She was dangerously near a cliff face and there was no way Caine would be able to catch her in his condition.

She smiled weakly and looked up at him. "Hey Sam. Long time no see. Still burning people's hands off?" She had meant it as a joke but it touched on a painful memory of his. Come to think of it, he had a lot of painful memories that he saw every night in his sleep.

He tried to keep a blank, leader face. "Diana. What are you doing here?"

"Sightseeing."

"Funny. If you don't answer I'll have to force you to." She glanced at his dead serious face.

"You've changed a lot, Sam." She said softly. "But it wasn't up to me. Talk to Caine." Sam looked over his shoulder to see Caine standing, immobile, half unconscious, staring at him with a mixed expression of defeat and something else unidentifiable. He went over.

"Caine," he said, not harshly, and loud enough for everyone to hear- an informal speech. "I don't think you're bad all the way through. Everyone deserves to live so I'll help you if you accept defeat and change the way you act. If you don't accept I'm going to have to fight you which I don't want to do with you at such a disadvantage, but I will. So what is it?"

"OK." Caine said in a low voice. "OK. But don't-"he suddenly collapsed in a heap. No- one rushed to his side but most people seemed to accept he was staying and gradually drifted off. The remainder of people weren't moving so Sam went over to him. Astrid and Edilio joined him and they stared at his limp body for a while.

"You know what?" said Edilio, "I think he's going to be okay." Astrid nodded in agreement. They lifted and moved him together to a more sheltered place.

**Caine POV**

Caine opened his eyes. He remembered what had happened earlier in the day. It bothered him, the giving in part- but and the moment hunger was a more pressing concern. Quinn was standing by him. He gave a nervous half smile. Caine wondered how he had got enlisted to watch him. It couldn't be out of choice- Caine had pushed him to betray his best friend and probably polluted his nightmares as well from all the battles. Funny, they seemed a long way away now. And Quinn probably disliked Diana and Bug just as much… Diana! Where was she? He swivelled his head around and saw her lying beside him, asleep. He couldn't see Bug, but that was hardly surprising. He groaned and pushed himself into an upright position.

"Um… hey." Quinn said warily. "I'm meant to watch you because you were like, dying. I brought you some fish. You're really meant to work for it but for the moment Sam's given you some of his." Huh. That was nice of him, Caine thought. But that was the last thing he thought before the smell of fish dominated his mind.

Five seconds later, the plate clean of fish, Caine remembered Quinn. He was pacing up and down edgily, twisting his hat between his fingers. Wow. He was nervous, even for talking to a "crazy killer" Caine tried to turn on his charm. "Are you okay, Quinn?"

"Sure, sure," he hastily replied. "It's just… there's this massive freak storm coming and I need to get you all into the town hall. That's why I'm here, not some randomer. It's kind of pressured and Diana and Bug still aren't awake…" Caine was relived. Not fear of him, then. But then he looked overhead and saw the storm. Huge black storm clouds were filling the sky and rain was starting to fall. Quinn was right to be scared of it. It wasn't the kind of thing you wanted to be caught outside with. Time to wake up Diana. He put his face right up close to her and shouted in her ear. Her eyes flickered open and Caine wondered why Quinn hadn't tried that already. Then he realised he would have hurt anyone who went anywhere near her and maybe it was quite a smart move to leave her alone. He smiled. He liked to still have power.

**Sam POV**

Sam herded the last of the prees in to the town hall and glanced around anxiously. Quinn wasn't back yet and he was starting to worry they would get struck by lightning or something. Storms in the FAYZ weren't something to take lightly. The last one had killed a little girl and wounded two others. At least Astrid was here, laying out sleeping bags and generally organising things in an efficient way. This had never happened before and they were determined to make sure everyone could sleep in the same room without killing each other. They were pretty positive about the room layout working. There was something Sam was dreading though- he couldn't be seen having a nightmare, it made him look vulnerable and weak. He couldn't stop them though; if he could he would have done it months ago. There was a bustle while 300 kids tried to find spare spaces- luckily it was a big hall, designed with room for everyone who used to live in Perido beach and with the adults gone and depleted numbers everyone found a place for a sleeping bag. Suddenly Quinn burst through the doors, followed by Caine, Diana and probably Bug. Relief flitted across Sam's face; they were safe, followed by shock at how ill they still looked. However there was nothing to do about that now, the storm was getting worse and the under sevens needed to go to sleep. Sam beckoned them over to a group of sleeping bags and spoke softly to Quinn while Mary and John got the kids into bed.

"Hey. Did you take a look at the storm? How long do you think it will last?"

"Hard to say. Maybe 12, 15 hours? Definitely the whole night, but probably gone by tomorrow lunch. Don't worry brah. Soon it'll be over." That was bad. Very bad. He would have to sleep here overnight. Really not good. Sam watched the minutes tick by and too soon it was 11:00. Everyone had to go to sleep now and as always he had to set a good example and do the same. He lay down and felt a sympathetic hand brush his shoulder. It was Astrid. He felt a sudden rush of hope and fell into a deep sleep.

And then the nightmares started.

**Cassie POV**

_It was all happy. I was with my mommy in the bathroom eating lots of marshmallows and it was all nice and bright and then suddenly my mommy went and there was a bad thing and Mary was there and it was all horrid and there was green and purple light and then I was hurt and blood and all the nasty stuff I saw on that big boy in the fight and the bad thing was coming towards me…_

"Cassie! Cassie its okay, I'm here, I'm here." Mary suddenly was holding her and smiling a bit. Cassie forgot why she was crying and looked around and she was in a big room with lots of nice people and it was all okay. She thought she went to sleep.

**Jack POV**

"_So naïve…"_

_Smart stupid stupid smart not smart stupid stupid stupid Jack Computer Stupid Jack_

"_How will you feel when Caine and Drake start going down that list?"_

_Taylor was lying in the middle of the floor. Blood dripping off her. Caine, Drake, Diana around her laughing._

"_Come on Jack. Naïve Jack. Hand over the list" Couldn't control my muscles. Moving. Moving. Moving. Handing over the list. Good dog. Good Jack._

"_You'll feel guilty Jack. When they start going down that list."_

_And now it was Brianna on the floor. Screaming in agony. Astrid the genius. 2 bars. Question mark. Sam. Lana. Dekka. Edilio. And now him. His hands suddenly encased in cement, in so much pain…_

Jack shot bolt upright, sweating. He didn't know when he had started screaming. This nightmare always came back.

**Quinn POV**

_There was a coyote and a kid. Screaming, crying, innocent kid. And suddenly a gun was in my hand, could kill the coyote, save the kid. But the kid- he'd hit the kid. Now they turned and he had a clear shot. No. Too slow. And the kid was dying, dying, dead. And somehow he'd hit Sam, his only friend instead and he was crying out and more dead bodies, more graves in the Plaza. All his fault._

_The scene shifted and his mom and dad were there._

"_Mom! Dad!" he was shouting but they didn't turn. Couldn't hear him he was behind a glass panel, shouting and screaming and crying and then- they were gone. Poof. _

Quinn woke twisted into his sleeping bag, Sam next to him. Alive. Of course alive.

**Lana POV**

_I was on the end of a fishing line, being reeled in, in, in like a helpless fish, gasping. I was in so much pain I should just be dead, reeled in, all of it over. And then- the Gaiaphage, real as anything, not just a dream. Using her. Using her healing power to… to… I didn't know. And I didn't want to know._

**Caine POV**

_Pack leader was dragging me to the mine shaft. To see the terrible thing inside. It was inside of me, pouring liquid fire into my brain, erasing my defences, totally, completely, controlling. Had to move, couldn't, trapped, vulnerable. The darkness. I couldn't escape but this time it was only a dream and faded... I was standing in the wreck of the church shooting stuff at people, aiming to kill, lights flashing everywhere and then Sam fell. Dead this time. And it felt wrong, I was shaking him awake and he lay lifeless and it was my fault and Astrid hated me and Quinn hated me and the Mexican hated me and Diana hated me too, loathing and Drake was there and I was falling…_

I heard a scream and realised it was mine.

**Sam POV**

_We were in the power plant, running doing something important and then I turned a corner and Drake was standing there, teeth bared in a shark grin. Ready for me. And I was rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to stop it, even unable to scream. And the whip hand came down. Again. Again. Again. Blood everywhere and I realised it was my blood. Coating the floor, the walls, everywhere. The urgent alarm blaring. Louder and louder until I was drowning in sound… And the whip hand came down._

Sam jolted awake to the sound of screaming. And not just his own. Dekka, Diana, Edilio- the FAYZ was a nightmare for everyone. But mostly in was just him and… Caine. Of course. Sam reached over to Caine and gripped his arm as they both gradually relaxed. The past battles didn't matter anymore. They were all in the same boat now. The boat of nightmares.


	2. Drake

Drake

Eight months after the FAYZ had started. Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain, starvation and hatred.

Another day in Perdido Beach.

**Sam POV**

Sam finished stacking the sleeping bags and sighed. When would all this end? Never, probably. At least, there was no point pretending otherwise or even "thinking positive". Positive had disappeared with the adults. So had a lot of things including hope, happiness and cleanliness. He was so engaged in his thoughts he barely noticed Astrid standing next to him, which wasn't exactly normal. But then they weren't a normal boyfriend and girlfriend. Normal wasn't being the oldest "kid" around. Normal wasn't holding a weapon in one hand while you kissed. Normal… was something Sam wished for all the time.

"It's getting worse, isn't it. Lana, I mean." her question took him unawares and he had no time to make anything up, or even think about what he was saying.

"Yeah, it is. Astrid, I don't know what to do. It's him, isn't it. You know." She sat down next to him on the neatly stacked sleeping bags and looked up at him and he was struck by how worried and out of control she looked.

"You're right, I know. I didn't want to say anything with all this going on right now, Caine and the storms but I think it's all linked. Lana, the storms, and… you know".

"Drake."

"Yeah. Drake."

**Caine POV**

"Caine! Get in here." called an irate Albert. God, that kid annoyed him. Stupid know-it-all, how was it he never did anything but was still an important council member? Whatever. He sighed and hauled himself up. Albert glared at him as he walked in. Ok, so he wasn't Perdido beach's favourite person, but what was his problem? Caine had never, say, burned his home down or anything. That was more Drake's style… Drake… he hated Drake with a fiery burning hate reserved for him and him alone. He couldn't believe once they had been a sort of friends. After what he did to Diana…

"Caine! Earth to Caine!" Albert snapped and pulled him back to reality. "Or FAYZ to Caine, I should say. It's been two days and you're perfectly healthy- at least what I call healthy and you should be thinking about getting a job. I'm not having you on the council, it would disrupt things. I suggest farming or fishing." He sounded so much like an adult it was funny. At least that cleared things up- he didn't want Caine jeopardizing his authority on the town council, it wasn't a personal grudge. It was Politics. That had to be a first.

"I was thinking about politics… joking, joking! Maybe I'll fish. Killing stuff, you know. I'm kind of addicted." Maybe Albert's pale face was a trick of the light, but it was fun winding him up.

**Sam POV**

The loud crashes and screams jerked Sam into movement. He leaped up and stared at Astrid as the sleeping bags tumbled to the hard wooden floor, forgotten.

"Sam…"

"Sam!" multiple voices called from outside.

"I'll be right back." he promised, knowing deep down inside him it was a lie.

As soon as he stepped outside a million and one people rushed up to him. The ones who weren't busy supporting friends covered in blood. He brushed them away and ran after a white faced Edilio who had just emerged from the empty school with Albert in the direction of the church. Ex church. They stopped just outside.

"Listen, man, I thought I just saw-"

"A lot of crazy things are going on right now. It was probably some trick." Sam insisted. "But if Drake is in there he'll be dead soon."

"Sam, you're not seriously thinking about going in there, are you? Edilio was worried, but there was a lot he didn't know. Like how Sam was going to make sure Drake would never use his whip hand, gun, or anything else ever again. But then he saw a sight that made him stop dead in his tracks. Inside the church, through the smashed stained glass window Quinn was disappearing, dragged by a person with brown hair, unremarkable except for the long, red whip.

**Caine POV **

"Sam was standing in the street with Edilio, not moving for a long time. It looked like they were arguing or something. Then he just shot off down the road." Caine told Astrid. Only because she made him. Talk about angry! "Tell me exactly what happened and don't you dare leave anything out". It wasn't like she could do anything except jabber away at him with Sam gone. He vaguely wondered if he was okay, but it wasn't like it had anything to do with him. Why should he care?

"Albert, get in here," Astrid snapped. She really was in a foul mood. Pretty, smart, goody goody Astrid angry. "Sam's run off and Edilio went soon after him. Something serious in going on-"

"I know," Albert cut her off. "Quinn's missing too."

"What?"

"Quinn. You know, weird, goofy, fisherman Quinn? He's missing and no-one saw him go. Didn't say anything." Albert shrugged. For some reason this made Caine angry. Like half the town was missing and he couldn't care less.

"Okay, this is definitely something serious. Albert, find Brianna. Caine-" She looked at him with an expression of distaste usually reserved for dogs "Bring Dekka, Howard and John."

Howard was just coming out of his and Orc's house when he got there. Howard didn't mind him. They had been on the same side, once.

"Caine! What's up, everyone rushing about like crazy? My man Orc wants to sleep, but not with all this noise going on."

"Go yell at Astrid. She's in the town hall and wants to see you." he said and carried on. Dekka was not so friendly, if that was friendly. She literally slammed the door in his face, but opened it a crack so he could tell her to go to the town hall. But then she had a reason not wanting to speak to him. The cement thing was a bit unfair, thinking about it now. It had been Drake's idea to start with, he just went along with it because it had made sense. It didn't make any sense anymore, like everything else he had done. He found John and got back to the town hall just in time to hear Astrid say "and you aren't helping either, Howard. They could be dead by now!" and get a death "go away" glare. Maybe he should head out of town, see what all the fuss was about.

**Sam POV**

He didn't have any other thoughts except get to Drake. Get to Drake before anything could happen to Quinn. He didn't know if Edilio was following him, didn't care. Couldn't let anything happen to Quinn, his old best friend, the person he had grown up with, and it only became obvious now, now he was being held by Drake, his worst nightmare. If Drake made a fight out of it… his pace slowed. Not a lot. He couldn't wait as the monster was maybe hurting Quinn, like he had slowly brought waves of pain upon Sam, screaming and screaming. It couldn't happen to him again. But it couldn't happen to Quinn either. Never.

Sam rounded the corner, knowing where he was going, knowing where Drake would be, the centre of his nightmares. The power plant. And there it was, with the smashed big gates, the long corridors that haunted his sleep, and the long walk up to the door to the reactor. The door he was willingly walking through to face his worst nightmare.

And there he was. Smaller, much smaller than the monster his imagination had created, but with the same cold eyes, the same shark grin. With his whip hand tight around the friend Sam most cared about in the world. Quinn's expression was an echo of Sam's thoughts- hopeless. Drake's expression was unreadable.

"Hey, Sammy. Long time no see huh? Got yourself into a bit of a repeat haven't you? See, I'm not dead. And I won't be for a loong time, unlike you. The Darkness rewards his, ahem, loyal followers, unlike your pathetic brother who will also be dead soon. That girl with the mangy dog healed me, which took a lot of effort, but don't worry, she'll get over the headaches before I even kill you. The storms he just made to distract you. And it worked, didn't it, because here I am with your weird friend and a gun. Make any move towards me and he'll be dead before you can say "bye-bye Quinn"." Sam only had to look back at his memories to know Drake was not bluffing. Drake was never bluffing. He would do anything.

Sam gave up the fighting and dropped his hands to his sides.

**Caine POV**

He ran through the power plant, fast. They would be there, Drake was probably trying to kill Sam. This was the best place. He didn't want to miss any of the action or miss the chance to hurt Drake. He guessed when he failed to back Sam that would be when he was kicked out of Perdido beach, but then they should have done that ages ago. He wasn't on their side, they all knew that. But they didn't want to leave him to die. They being Sam. But Caine would only back Caine now. Trusting someone, even a little bit like with Drake led to serious consequences. He skidded round the corner and into the reactor. And saw what made him stop dead in his tracks.

His brother, Sam. His _brother_. And Drake, slowly raising his snake-like hand to bring down on Sam. He was crying out, and Caine had to stop it, stop Drake from hurting his twin, the closest person he had in the FAYZ. And it took until now, until he was in this position until he saw it. It was obvious.

Drake looked up.

"Hey, Caine. Come to join the party? Drake was surprised. Good.

"No way, Drake. You are going to be dead." Caine hissed. Drake laughed.

"No Caine, you are. But hey, before we get started on all of that, do you want to help me take care of that?" He indicated the heap that was Sam. "One thing we have in common, hating him, isn't it. Want to?" Zero things in common now.

"Not happening." Drake's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What, Caine, are you friends now? Who do you think you're you kidding? You're not even allies." Caine thought he saw Sam stir, out of the corner of his eye. He touched his side and groaned. And suddenly Drake was flying through the air like he was shot out of a catapult. Flying into the far wall, dragging Quinn with him as he cursed and then he was up again and running at Caine. Caine was watching Sam and was taken by surprise. Drake lashed out at him before he could react and a streak of firey pain burned through him, making him stagger. Another blow landed on his shoulder and he was knocked down on the floor with Sam. Their eyes met and a flicker of something went across Sam's face. Pity? Gratitude? Anger?

Drake stood above them, face glowing with sadistic pleasure. It must be like a dream come true for him. Not so much for Caine. Quinn dithered in the background, not able to help and Sam was barely able to move. It was up to him.

Drake's whip hand came down. Again. Again. Again. Alternating between Sam and Caine, not really caring. Sam crept along the floor slowly until his mouth was an inch from Caine's ear. "Get Quinn out the way. I'll burn Drake." he squeezed the syllables out his mouth. Holding on with his fingertips.

Caine used the last of his strength to wrench his body upright and shot energy out his hands to pull Quinn out of his position as human shield and Sam just lay there. Caine had no energy left to make any move towards Drake. Drake grinned his cold uninfectious shark grin and raised his whip hand so high he could slice them in half. And suddenly Sam pulled himself upright and shot two beams of pure light at him. They pierced his middle and he fell back onto the cold floor. And stopped grinning. Forever.

**Quinn POV**

Quinn watched Drake fall to the floor and felt a huge rush of relief. He was shaking all over. He had come so close to being shot He had been so useless but wasn't dead and Sam had come to rescue him and was also alive. Sam! Quinn turned in time to see him sink back to the floor. He was scary to look at. Like last time, when he had shot his piercing light in the air and Quinn had found him half dead, bright red stripes across his body.

And it had happened again and Quinn had seen it happen. It wasn't something he could forget. He had been such a useless friend, a tool to bring Sam here. But he had come. So maybe he was forgiven for all the times he had…

"Quinn," someone croaked. Sam? No, Caine, but in almost as bad a condition as Sam was. "Get help, please."

"I… oh, right." Stupid. Help them. Whatever he could do to help them. He ran.

**Sam POV**

Sam came to as Lana was leaning over him. He couldn't remember what had happened exactly, did it all happen? One glance at Caine lying next to him, ignored, and a dark body everyone moved away from confirmed it. And then he felt the pain. There weren't words to describe it. He would have cried out but it seemed like half of Perdido beach was there, watching him. No, not everyone, but the ones who were important, like Astrid, Edilio, Brianna, Dahra and of course Quinn.

"Sam?" It was Astrid speaking but the sound of her voice didn't do anything to soften the pain and he cried out, couldn't suppress it as Lana leaned over and placed her hands over the broken skin

and he blacked out again.

He woke to the most amazing feel of whole skin and the absence of pain. He felt his mouth stretch into a smile. All around him he heard sighs of relief.

"Hey, we thought you were a goner there, Sammy," Howard voiced what everyone was thinking. "You feel ok?" Weird from Howard. He hurried to cover up his mistake. "I mean, I don't really want Astrid running stuff on her own, do I?"

"Yeah, yeah sure Howard. Admit it, you're glad I'm alive." Howard laughed.

"Ish."

"Where's Caine?" Edilio discreetly pointed to a heap on the floor only Diana was standing by. Sam awkwardly stood up and went over. Diana looked up. He was surprised to see she had been crying, but quickly covered it up when he approached.

"Why is he still here?" he asked. "Lana?" Lana scowled.

"I'm not touching _that_."

"Please. For me." It was Diana's turn to look surprised. "He's my brother."


	3. Up

Up

Eight months after the FAYZ had started. Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain, starvation and hatred.

Another day in Perdido Beach.

But today would be different. Today… something was up.

**Caine POV**

Diana had been hard to convince to spent the night with Astrid. But everyone agreed it wasn't best idea for Caine and Diana to stay in a house alone with no-one to -guard them? Watch them?- and Sam and Astrid were the best people to put them with. No-one would ever think of sneaking into their houses at night. Even if it wasn't to kill someone. The only problem was, Astrid's house wasn't big enough so him and Sam had to stay in Sam's old house. The house he had been kicked out of. The house he had had searched but never been anywhere near. The house everyone had told him Sam hated being in. So he was really looking forward to sleeping in it. Sure.

But everyone was exhausted after the eventful day and so everyone headed off in their separate directions, Edilio to the fire station, Lana to Clifftop and Diana reluctantly trailing after Astrid. Careful not to wake anyone up or tell them what had happened until the "official" announcement tomorrow. So he had 12 hours more of people trying to kill him. Used to it. He would probably miss it.

"Caine?" Sam called tentatively from a few yards ahead. "Down here." They turned down an alleyway onto a small road. Even after months it still had the air of a not so nice neighbourhood. Not exactly the amazing life he had been imagining. The small grudge he still held to Sam lessened.

His brother turned into a small house with no real sidewalk and went up the faded wooden steps. He turned back. "You coming in?" They was something weird about that house to Caine. But it was the best place because everyone knew it was Sam's house so Caine followed him in. It was tiny, messy, he hardly noticed.

**Sam POV**

It was like he had never left it. The steady hum of the fridge, the books lying scattered around. But he hadn't been here for so long… he quickly started talking to push back the surge of memories scattered around just like the books.

"So, which room would be less awkward for you to stay in?"

They decided on Sam staying in him mom's old room and Caine staying in his. Still avoiding looking directly at each other, they went their separate ways for the night. His mom's room felt different now he knew what she had kept from him. She had always been private about her things but now their trust was broken. Completely. Maybe for ever. He chucked a couple of dresses off the bed on to the floor, not caring what happened to them and fell asleep, in the sheets smelling of his mom that made him so angry.

**Caine POV**

It was strange walking into Sam's old room. It was like catching a glimpse of who he used to be and who Caine could have been. It was tiny, cramped and gloomy but the piercing light that had been reported to him outside the cupboard was still there and he could vaguely make out the outlines of a poster, a photo, a T-shirt. There was a small window looking out on to an alleyway. Caine remembered Diana saying once after reading more of Nurse Temple's laptop that they hadn't always lived here, there had been an accident, there had been a stepfather but then it was just Sam and him mom. Up until the FAYZ. Then it was just Sam left. And now it was him and Sam. Caine wondered abstractly if Nurse Temple would have been a good mom. Probably not. What kind of a mom gives up her son? What kind of a mom would lie her way through life? And now she was gone and there would be no answers. He knew, absolutely, she wasn't forgiven by either of them, and might never be. He fell into a fitful sleep, only woken by the jarring scream.

**Sam POV**

_It was the same dream again, over and over. Worse. The memories were stronger. The whip came down. Up. Down. He was on fire with pain. More than pain. Almost death, on the edge, hanging on and his friend the psychopath menacing even in certain death and everyone was with him but so far away, sharing the pain…sharing the pain..._

Sam woke, screaming, to Caine shaking him. At first he thought he was still part of the nightmare, but not in the old "scary" way. He had been there, after all. One of the ones sharing the pain. Not the enemy. He gradually realised it was real and his breathing slowed. He kicked the tangled mess of blankets aside and sat up. Caine was still there, sitting on the edge of the bed, worried.

"You okay? Sorry, I had to wake you. You were…"

"Yeah. Dreaming."

"Don't you just love nightmares?" He was still shaking. Caine moved closer.

"Bad one?" Sam nodded.

"It was… yeah. Bad." He wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

As if he read his mind, Caine said "You know, you have to talk about it sometime. It will just get harder. I've been there. Am there." Sam looked up at his face, expecting to see pity or concern but instead saw his own emotions reflected there. Fear. Worry. A little bit of weariness.

"It's still… Drake. I know he's gone but not… you know, in my head. I can't get rid of it. It's like he'll always be with me. Whatever I do. It's stupid, I wouldn't expect you to understand…"

"Expect the unexpected."

That phrase rolled over in his head for a while. Expect the unexpected. Until he heard the scream.

**Caine POV**

_He was a puppet on strings moving, until the ropes jerked and he was helpless. The powerful made powerless. And the strings kept jerking and cut into his wrists, everything was slightly out of his reach and there was always, always this thing controlling him. Him. Caine Soren. He controlled, but now this controlled him._

_And the scene shifted and he was lying on the cold floor of the power plant with Sam… Sam?_

"Sam?"

"Yep. You too?"

"Yeah… it's still just as bad."

"You want to… talk about it?" The concern was evident in Sam's voice.

"No… yes… I don't know." Him, Caine, unsure, disoriented. Scared. He had been avoiding thinking it. But he was scared. Of dreams and memories. He wished he could go back to normal life. But what was normal? With his so-called "parents"? With the Temples? He immediately rejected this idea even as he thought it. It was too… what was the word? Strange? But was it? Because here, with Sam, wasn't anything as strange as he would have imagined. There was something natural about it. Not that he would have ever told that to Sam.

"You want me to sleep in here?" Caine looked back sharply. That was… unexpected. But what was it that he had told Sam earlier? Expect the unexpected. And this night wasn't exactly going as expected by anyone.

"I just mean to keep away the nightmares…" Sam stammered "If you don't want to…"

"No, it sounds good."

**Sam POV**

He dragged a mattress into his old bedroom and shot two more small lights out of his hands. "Do you mind?"

"Nah, it's cool," Caine replied sleepily "Just keep your hands aimed away from me. Why do you want light anyway? Scared of the dark?" He had probably meant as a joke, but it was sort of the reason he could shoot lasers out of his hands.

"You ever thought about why we have the powers we do? It sort of matches up, doesn't it?"

"What, you being scared of the dark, me being controlling…"

"That kind of thing, I guess."

"Kind of. But forget the powers a minute, are you really scared of the dark?"

"No way am I telling you that. You'll just store it up and use it against me. How about you tell me a deep dark secret about you?" Not that he would. And sure enough…

"No."

He looked over at Caine. He appeared so innocent, nearly asleep, curled up in a ball. But he wasn't. Something to remember.

Bright daylight poured into the room. Too bright. Taylor was shaking him awake. He groaned and pushed her away, reaching for a shirt.

"Morning or night?" It could easily be night, he was so exhausted. Exhausted with an endless list of things to do, places to be. And whatever disaster required his urgent attention right now. "Taylor?" But she didn't look panicked.

"Everyone's waiting for you. We woke you up last because you're the one who always has to be up every night, but you have to be in the town hall now." she said impatiently. "Just hurry up." She disappeared. Sam glanced back at Caine, but followed after Taylor. He turned onto the familiar road and headed to the town hall where he guessed she'd gone. It was still a bit aggravating to be listening to the council make stupidly pointless decisions but this felt like something more important. Maybe they would actually do something today. When he walked in they were sitting not at the long table they held council meetings but clustered around in a group. The town council, Astrid, Edilio, Albert, Dekka, Howard and John were there but also Brianna, Quinn, Lana, Dahra, Jack, Taylor and Orc. They were talking in urgent hushed tones and didn't see him straight away when he walked in. He cleared his throat and Edilio looked up and smiled. A real smile. Not something there had been much cause for lately. Maybe something good had actually happened for once.

"I have something to say to everyone. Something… well, pretty good."

"Good? What's that?" Sam joked. Edilio smiled again.

"You know the guys at the fire station at the moment, Derek, Consuela and Juanito. They saw something weird and I went to check it out. It's the FAYZ wall."

"What about it?"

"Do you mean…"

"What's going on?"

"No way…"

"I think it's gone. Lifted. Up."


	4. After

After

Eight months after the FAYZ had started. Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain, starvation and hatred.

Another day in Perdido Beach.

But was it the FAYZ anymore?

**Brianna POV**

"Breeze. Go." It didn't matter who had said it. This was something she was going to do anyway.

Was this the end? What they'd been dreaming about happening forever? The FAYZ walls were definitely gone. But then why did it feel so…

**Sam POV**

Scary. The dawning realisation he would have to…

**Caine POV**

Run. His life was over. After what he'd done, could he ever…

**Astrid POV**

Cope. She had lost so much, she needed to…

**Quinn POV**

Think. Had he done what he should have? Of course, the answer was…

**Albert POV**

No. Not after setting up a life for himself. But that was just…

**Orc POV**

Selfish. How could his first thought have been about beer after the life-saving news. But then, he was a…

**Edilio POV**

Monster. He'd tried to do all he could, but even that hadn't been enough. He had killed kids. How could he have been so…

**Lana POV**

Unfeeling. Almost numb. This nightmare was over, but her head was far from…

**Taylor POV**

Natural. Of course it was over. She was even starting to forget how bad it had really been. Had she really…

**Jack POV**

Fought? He should have been strong. Strong Jack. Weak Jack. Computer Jack. What had he become? A…

**Dekka POV**

Freak. She always had been, but she was going to come out of this…

**Howard POV**

Changed. They all were. Not the same kids who were sitting in class when everyone disappeared. So how could they let themselves be happy now?

**Sam POV**

It was a sunny morning. Strange he noticed. The thing that was more noticeable was the silence. There were different types of silence. Awkward. Ominous. Peaceful. And this was something else again. It was sort of different for everyone. There was such a split in the room, happy and sad people but mostly everyone just with conflicting emotions. Torn somewhere between relief and guilt. He was leaning more towards the second one. Of course, once they told the general population of Perdido beach there would be no such range in feelings. Some might not be ecstatic. Diana. Zil. Hunter. But mostly what did they have to worry about? And they had the same reasons to be happy as the people in this room were also thinking about, in varying degrees of excitedness. They could be kids again. Not have the responsibilities of life and death any more, hug their moms, eat, get out of the living nightmare. Do homework, go to school, get questions answered. But could any of them really be kids again? The few that could would be the lucky ones. He hoped maybe Quinn would be one of the lucky ones. But it was impossible.

"Sam." Edilio was saying. "…check it out?"

"Oh, yeah, sure…" He nodded. "Should I go?" Unsure now, that he was the right one to go to the wall. The one to let everyone in, with their questions and hopes and regrets. Regrets for dead kids… he could have saved…

"Sam. That's what we've been saying. For the past two minutes!" Astrid said, exasperated. She seemed suddenly much more like herself. But she wasn't. There was something in her eyes, contradicting her normal words… but it wasn't the time to go reading too much into everything. He had to take charge… for hopefully the last time.

"Okay. Edilio drive me to where your soldiers found adults. Astrid, council people, talk to the town and get them organised. Maybe everyone into the town hall? Brianna and Taylor both on communication. I need to double check this isn't some crazy Gaiaphage trick and, if it isn't, talk to the adults. They aren't ready to see this yet…"

**Caine POV**

The strangest thing, was that his first thought wasn't about himself at all. It wasn't that he thought he was selfish exactly but he knew how egoistic he was. It was all Diana ever talked about. But strangely enough, his first thought wasn't some heroic selfless thing about her either. He didn't kid himself he was like that. And it wasn't about Sam, or Drake, or Edilio, or Orc. It was about Chunk, Paint, Tyrell... Or in general, kids he had killed. It was some weird compassion thing which wasn't totally new but still wasn't really him. Everyone was going to have a hard time coping.

And him… he had turned into one of those crazy killers you see on TV. He wasn't going to slot back neatly into the world. What would they do to him? Sent him to jail? Put him in therapy? Back in the world, with their rules, he had murdered… how many was it? Oh god, he had lost count of how many people he had killed. And they wouldn't understand how it had been in the FAYZ. How you had to kill or be killed. Even Sam, the guy everyone thought of as a hero would be locked up somewhere according to their laws. And they definitely wouldn't understand how Caine's mind worked. The controlling thing was just a part of him. Part of his character. And it had got out of hand in somewhere like the FAYZ. Out of hand… an understatement.

He was vaguely aware of people moving around him, getting up to sort the town out. Should he just run? Like the criminal he was. Now would be a good time, or at least as good a time as any. He barely had anyone left here. The Sorens- a nice, refined family who had dropped Caine off at Coates at the first sign of trouble- weren't going to want him back after this. Diana was better off without him. It would hurt to leave her, but they were never even really a couple. He could do it. There wasn't anyone else… except Sam… but the Temples had made it clear from the start they had never wanted him. Of course, Sam hadn't known… but he quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. So logically he should go.

But… he was staying. He couldn't run forever, and he wasn't the kind of person to run from things anyway.

**Sam POV**

Wow. There were so many of them. Adults… this was for real. A whole bunch of them. Not the kids that had died like the Gaiaphage had tried to tell them but the adults. All of them. Old. Not kids. The gaggle at the front were the parents and people involved… was his mom there? He tried to tell himself he didn't care… And there was also a group of "important" people; cops, the mayor, therapists, doctors and a whole load of others. And a huge crowd. The ex residents of Perdido beach, and more. Lots more. Too many. He cleared his throat.

"Um, people?"

A few people looked up. "He's here! Guys, look!" There was a huge rush and craning of necks to see him. A giant babble broke out, a louder noise than the few hundred kids he had been used to. It was deafening.

"He's here!"

"They're out!"

"Is this him?"

"It's him, Sam Temple!" Great. They all knew him too. He wondered if the bowl thing about the adults all being able to look in was true. That would just be…

"The three kids who came, they said something about needing to get Sam so I guess they made it." No. They didn't know anything. So they wouldn't expect anything. There was a rustle in the crowd. They were waiting for him to say something. He stepped forward.

This was it.

"Hi, I'm Sam. I've been sort of… in charge in the town.

But I guess you knew that.

What you don't know, is what it's like in the town. You've just been expecting to get your kids back and things will be better. For some of you that will be true. But others won't be so lucky.

You see, when you all disappeared there was no one at first to keep things together. No one to take charge. We were all just kids. And no one to keep the peace. No cops. And fights were worse, much worse because the bullies were taking control and no one was around to stop them. And normal kids were slowly getting out of control. There were no rules, no restrictions, no one to tell them what to do. But when things went wrong it wasn't a game any more. The apartment building caught fire with a girl inside. There was no fire brigade any more. We were the fire brigade."

Edilio had come up behind him.

"Sam took charge. He got people to get hoses and went into the burning building to try rescue her. It didn't… work, but people started to look to him. For help. But he had to look for someone's brother and left for a while. And the bullies took over."

"Right. And that's another horrible, horrible thing. Cars being driven by adult who disappeared crashed. If there was a kid in the back they would have probably died. Babies with no siblings sometimes weren't found until it was too late. Stoves were left on, guns left unattended in houses. Drugs, alcohol, left. There was no one running the daycare until Mary took over. No one running anywhere. It wasn't just no authoritive figures or parents. And that was bad enough on its own anyway.

And some kids were… changed. You might not believe me at first, but the wall in the first place is a bit unbelievable. So I'll show you." This was it. Where the world found out what he could do. He took a breath and lifted his hands in the air and shot out a beam of light. It was hard to read the crowd, but they mainly looked stunned. And believed him.

"There are different types of power, and degrees of it. In bars. One, two, three, four. One girl has the power to measure other peoples power. Most people don't have it, but lots do and some examples are Brianna with amazing speed, faster than a speeding bullet, Dekka with stopping gravity in a certain area, me with lasers coming out my hands and Caine with telekinesis. And that's what happened soon after the "big poof". Caine and the rest of the Coates kids came down to Perdido beach and took over. At first they were welcomed. People wanted people in charge. But soon after we- our group from the beginning, me, Astrid and Edilio- realised they were… well, bad. Caine's right hand man Drake was just twisted. He was appointed in charge of discipline, enforcing the new rules which basically gave them power to do anything. And no one was so keen on them anymore, but they were in charge. They let a bully kill a girl and didn't do anything about it." Edilio spoke again.

"And they felt threatened by Sam. They knew about the powers and the girl who read them- Diana- had told Caine he was the highest bars she had read. Four. No one else had as many, until they found Sam. Four bars. So they attacked him and locked him up, keeping Astrid as a hostage so he would do what they said. But Astrid's brother, Little Pete had a lot of power, maybe five or seven bars, but had no control over them. He teleported himself and Astrid away. Caine found out and sent Drake after them with a machine gun with orders to kill them both. Sam got away with the help of Quinn so him, Quinn and me went after Astrid. We found her and got away after a few fights. So we were on the run, but things were getting worse in Perdido beach where they needed Sam to take over from Caine."

"After we found Lana, a girl who could heal and were surrounded by a pack of mutated coyotes (strange things happened to the animals too like rattlesnakes with wings and man eating zekes) I got control of my powers and decided I had to head back to Perdido beach to sort things out. But on the way we got caught by Drake and taken to Coates where they were keeping all the kids with powers not on their side, tied up, concreated and starving. We got away and brought the kids back to town and gave them food. Caine wasn't there, he was doing something in Coates, but he would be back so we all prepared ourselves for a war- not fight, war, against them. Perdido beach against Coates, mostly. It was basically a massive battle. I don't really want to go into the details. Machine guns, powers, coyotes. Kids. All kids. And me against Caine.

Another thing. On the first day, everyone over fourteen disappeared. So what happens when you turn fifteen? You disappear. It had already happened to people. And we both couldn't afford to disappear and leave everyone to die. It was our birthday. We're kind of long lost brothers, so. We both had some serious wounds and it was the time we were born. A tempter appeared to make us disappear but we both resisted it and stayed in the FAYZ. Oh, that's what we call it. Fallout Alley Youth Zone. And… I won the fight. So I didn't kill him, but I made him leave.

It was all okay for a bit. But then we had new problems. Starvation. The food supply ran out and kids were down to eating bugs. It's only a bit better now. Fights inside the town. Basically a terrorist gang going round doing seriously bad stuff- the Human Crew. They tried to hang someone. And the Coates people were back, attacking the power plant, killing two kids and shutting all electricity off. No water, no light. More massive battles. And I couldn't cope with it all the time, everyone's problems. Things slip through. I wasn't ready for the attack on the power plant when I should have been. I should have…"

"He did great. But there was so much, so many problems. Next there were all the problems with setting down rules. Kids wouldn't work, wouldn't always listen to the council at first. The council couldn't decide on laws. And one day, the Human crew set the town on fire. It was horrible. No water to put it out, no way of rescuing kids trapped in their houses. We worked through the whole night stopping it spreading. And listened to the screams of the trapped kids. We couldn't help them. Lots of people died, lots were injured. Everyone was affected. "

"And, maybe the biggest worry, the thing we think was the cause of it all. The Gaiaphage. I can't describe it, but it's some… thing, it was at the bottom of the mineshaft, controlling kid's minds and planning something big and bad. We thought we killed it, but it was still there, worming its way into people's heads. And… it told everyone that dying was the way out of this. To kill themselves to escape. And people were so desperate they believed it. All the prees were nearly pulled of a cliff. Because everything was just so bad.

So what I'm trying to say, really, is don't expect things to be great. Some places and houses are in ruins. Most kids are alive, but a lot aren't. And the ones who are won't be ready to talk about things. They've all seen bad stuff. And… I'm sorry for not doing enough to keep them all alive."

"Sam. You did all you could. He was the one in the middle of every fight, sorting out everything. Hardly sleeping. Woken up every night. He nearly died so many times. Saving everyone. He's a real hero."

"I'm not. But we need to head back to the town. Are you coming?"

A small man Sam recognised as the mayor stepped forward. "Sam, we are all enormously grateful to you, Edilio, Astrid and everyone else running the town. Are you happy with us taking over again? We'll still need you, but can we do things together?" This was weird. He guessed they did still need them. Kids were used to listening to him and might not follow the old rules easily.

"Of course."

"That's great." He gave a strange smile. "Let's go."

**Caine POV**

Sam and the adults had apparently got back. He hadn't seen them, but the kids were all being kept in the town hall foyer so they could read out their names or something so the parents could claim their children and they could work out who was dead. Cheerful. He could just make out Sam inside and a bunch of… adults? It had been a long time since he'd seen one. They looked… less old. Less confident. Less superior. But it wasn't them who had changed. It was him.

**Sam POV**

He held the water list out. Not as many names as there had seemed before. So many crossed off. He didn't want the job of breaking the news to the parents whose kids were buried in the plaza. Who would have to watch as other parents went off happy and were left waiting… waiting… until he had finished calling out names. But as usual, he was stuck doing the things no one else wanted to do.

"John Terrafino, Quinn Gaither, Charles Merriman."

"Albert Hillsborough, Lana Lazar…" They were all coming forward, their parents finding them, sometimes running, Quinn looked so happy, John brought in the prees, a lot of people were crying, everyone hugging. He read out more names, and more, and more.

"Zil Sperry, Pete Ellison, Astrid Ellison…"

"Edilio Escobar…"

He got to the last two names. Recently added.

"Diana Ladris, Caine Soren. I'm sorry. That's it." He hated that he couldn't read out more names. And already people were drifting off, needing somewhere private to cry and try to come to terms with what had happened to their kids.

No one left in the foyer. Except Caine, standing awkwardly.

"Caine Soren?" Caine came through into the hall.

"It's okay Sam," he said. "Don't bother. No one's going to come. I guess they've given up on me. I mean, wouldn't you?" Would he? No, not really. Caine wasn't as bad as he thought he was. Sometimes not bad at all. And Sam kind of liked him, not liked as in friends because that was something they really weren't, but something deeper.

Brothers.

**Caine POV**

"Where are you going then?" Sam was concerned. Concerned. Well, he was the only one who was. No one else was coming, and he really had no idea where he was going. What he would do.

Until Connie Temple came forward.


	5. Police

Police

**Caine POV**

A shortish woman with light brown hair and blue eyes stepped forward. Sam failed miserably at hiding his surprise.

Connie Temple… his mom. The woman who rejected him at birth. He moved away from her. Then took a step forward. No idea what he was doing. His thoughts a jumbled mess.

But they were interrupted by the loud crash from the back doors and police swarming into the room like ants. Who had called them? He tried to count them but gave up, there were a lot, he knew that much. The kids all were suddenly scared. Menace had suddenly entered the air. Unexpected and unwelcome. A cold silence settled over the room. People were looking disgruntled, their moments reuniting with their families ruined. But the ones who knew what was going on were beyond worried.

The policewoman in the middle radiated confidence, her suit immaculate, eyes sharp. She knew what she was doing. It didn't matter if it was the right thing, she wasn't going to feel pity for these kids, or anything that got in the way of her job. Caine felt the presence of a leader, someone ruthless and determined. The other police officers were less sure. But they weren't going to do anything. Nothing to help them. They had to get out of here, fast. He tried to forget about Nurse Temple. She could wait for him like he had for her for fifteen years. He stared at Sam, willing him to move.

"Sam…" his own voice rang out, uncannily loud in the almost frozen room. Why was he trying to get Sam out? Probably because they were the ones with the most to hide, the ones in the most danger. Must be. Sam was… a good guy. But Caine wasn't. He just didn't do stuff for other people without a reason. Except for this time. "Sam…" his voice a little higher, maybe. Hopefully not shaking. Don't shake. Don't shake. But Sam was immobile, like a statue. Frozen to the wooden ground he stood on.

**Sam POV**

No. This couldn't be happening. He had let himself hope, be relieved, see the glass as half full just for a moment. Now it was all gone. He was dead. It was over. The FAYZ was gone, but still, it would still always win. He didn't have a hope.

The woman's mouth was moving. Words…Condemning them?

"… unfortunate…" Oh god. They were all going to die. No. Stay calm. Focus. "list of names… Coates…" Names? People? This was real. Listen, Sam. Tone the panic down. "Diana, Dekka, Lance, Turk, Lisa, Brianna, Penny, Bug, Howard, Taylor, Lana, Quinn, Astrid," A few more names. "And separately Sam Temple, Caine Soren" Caine! "and Edilio Escobar. The rest of you kids will be allowed to stay in Perdido Beach for the time being, but you'll be all going through some pretty intense medical and psychological examinations to see if there is anything which needs… _special_ treatment." A ripple passed through the crowd. For the time being? And what about the rest of them, the ones on her list? The policewoman gave a fake comforting smile. Not a good look on her. The smile didn't reach her eyes and she looked slightly Martian. "You'll be fine. Don't worry. Now, come with me only if I've called your name". Only now he became aware of Caine right behind him, appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't go," he hissed softly. "We have to run". Sam opened his mouth, full of questions but in the end only nodded. Caine was right. This was no joke. Unfortunately the small gesture didn't go undetected by the policewoman.

She turned to the policeman on her right.

He nodded and reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a gun.

He shouted something.

Pandemonium broke out.

Run. Run Sam.

Caine…

Go…

We have to get out of here.

Sam…

Move, run, run.

Caine!

Ow…

Funnily enough, it was the adults who panicked at the gun. The kids were used to it. Some even reached into their own pockets, groping for weapons they'd left outside. It was the adults who acted like kids.

**Caine POV**

Was this real? Blackness rushing forward, colours, too bright…

Nothing.

**Sam POV**

Caine was sprawled on the hard floor, still unconscious. It had been a few hours since Sam had woken up and he was starting to get worried. The room (a room or was it a cell?) was barely big enough for both of them, but at least they knew where the other was. He thought about Astrid, Edilio and Quinn a lot of course too. Edilio was supposed to be here. And Astrid and Quinn… what had they done to get bundled off away from their families? Quinn especially. And Astrid was so… He hoped they'd be safe. A hazy memory of the policewoman drifted to the surface; "It's all _temporary_, of course. Until we figure this out". He hoped with all his heart she had been telling the truth.

**Caine POV **

"Sam…"

"Caine? Thank god you're finally awake." That was Sam's voice. A little gushier than normal, but then he had a reason to be.

He sat up slowly. The floor was freezing and felt like it was made of stone. "How long was I out?"

Sam looked paler than normal. No happy surfer about him today. "A few hours longer than me. I don't think your body reacted so well to the tranquilisers". Really? You think? But at least he was being nice. It was good, at least, they were in a room together. Even if it was about the size of a broom cupboard. It would have been kind of stressful not to know what was going on with Sam. Did he really just think that? Actually, he didn't really know why he was so surprised. After everything that had happened at the power plant and with the nightmares there had been some kind of weird connection between them. "family bonds" and all that. Sometimes he helped Sam, and sometimes Sam helped him. Switch around, protector and protected, strong and weak, older and younger. Because they were twins. Which was maybe the reason they clashed so much when they first met each other.

He talked, just to avoid a weird silence when he talked to his inner thoughts and stuff. "Do you know anything about anyone else?"

Sam shrugged. He had an unusual shrug, something Caine had never noticed before. It was the small things, cheesy as it was. Knowing stuff about each other. "A little bit. Astrid, Quinn, Diana, Taylor, Dekka, Brianna, the Human Crew losers and some others are up at Coates". Caine wasn't sure he'd heard right. "Coates?"

"I know, right? They have no evidence to put them in jail or young offenders institution or anything, and all the psychiatrists are booked up sorting out the normal kids who survived. Well, not normal any more. That's the point. And Coates is apparently prepared for this kind of thing, with all their problem kids."

"What about everyone else?"

"We're here. Don't know where here is. Edilio got deported back to Honduras, they're figuring out what to do with him back there. I'll miss him. He deserved better. He was a good guy". The same words Caine had used about Sam.

"And…_ how _do you know all this stuff? Or are you just making it up?"

"One word. Taylor".

Of course.

**Sam POV**

Caine was just about to say something when the door opened. Some people in ugly suits and two policemen wandered into the room like it was perfectly normal to have locked two kids up in room so small half the party had to wait outside. Sam prayed Taylor wouldn't bounce in now. Caine met his eyes and seemed to understand. "She won't," he mouthed. "Coates schedule". Well, he probably knew better than Sam what the timetable at Coates was. Probably Work, Work, Psychiatrist, Lunch, Work, Therapy, or something like that.

"Come with us, please," The brown suit one said. Right. Like there was any "please" about it. He reluctantly got to his feet and felt his muscles complaining.

"Where are we?"

"And why?" Caine asked.

The sandy haired round policeman cleared his throat, "Ahem, well… the situation is currently anomalous and the safest…"

The brown suit man interrupted him, "In kiddie speak, you're screwed up people and we're locking you up somewhere".

"Tactful". A tall woman muttered.

Caine's jaw literally dropped. He looked like something out of a cartoon. It would have been funny, except that it so wasn't.

"Lock us up?"

"That's right. Such a smart kid.". The guy was openly mocking them. He added him to his pretty long list of enemies after Drake Merwin, Zil Sperry, The rest of the Human Crew, Marmite and God.

**Caine POV**

LOCK. US. UP? No, no, no. He was Caine Soren. This did not happen to him. He had power, and influence, and… Locked up? How did this even happen? It must be someone's fault. Now this was where it would help to be in charge. One of the _many _times it would help.

**Sam POV**

Thirty seconds had passed. Or it might have been forever. It was hard to tell the difference. It _felt _like forever.

"What authority do you have to do this?" Caine. Being Caine. Even now, trying to be persuasive, trying to be charming. But even he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice.

"What _authority_, midget? That would be mine. Welcome to Canary Secure Unit. Basically a prison, but a little different".

"We're only 15." Sam said, willing Caine not to add anything stupid.

"From what I've heard, you're not fifteen on the inside. Done things even forty year old murderers wouldn't do." He smiled slightly. Like it was all some joke to him.

"It was different. It was like a war zone." he said.

"Hmm, do you know something? I don't care. Save it for the judges. For the moment you're dangerous, and you're staying here".

"Well, not here. In the main building". A small balding man in a blue suit chipped in.

"Thank you so much Edwards," Brown suit man replied, voice dripping sarcasm. "Now if you don't mind, we're going. We have a lot to do. Come on. Now".

They were led through a maze of corridors and locked rooms, all very white, very clean, all very impenetrable, being poked in the back by Brown Suit whose name, apparently, was Tony Ambienton. Brown suit suited him better, it was ugly and rude just like him. He kept "accidently" pushing them to move faster, provoking a series of comments from Caine which made Sam wish he was alone. It seemed like hours, but eventually they arrived at a huge door which unlike the others was unlocked. It was painted red as if it was a half-hearted attempt to brighten the place up but really just highlighted the lack of brightness. It looked like any happiness he would find here would have to be man-made. The policemen pushed Sam and Caine forward. Not hard, but enough to know they were headed into something they wouldn't voluntarily do. Ever. Sam sighed. After everything in the FAYZ he was being forced away from his mom and into something he really didn't want to or have the energy to deal with. Well, it wasn't a first. Or even a second. At least he had Caine. Or Caine had him. Whichever. He pulled open the door and was suddenly blinded by about a hundred lights which was physically painful in contrast to the gloom they had been sitting in. At least he could see clearly who else was in the room…

**Caine POV**

This was going to be hell.


End file.
